There are numerous ways to celebrate Lent with your family and kids. Let us have a Lenten season full of spiritual celebrations. Here are some suggestions to brighten your days of Lent.
Attend Traditional Lenten Service
All Catholic churches offer traditional Lenten services. Together you can go to church during this Lent. Especially the important days like Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday (Thursday before Easter, where communion is served), Good Friday (reading of the last words of Christ and more, very somber) and of course Easter Sunday! This will provide you to be in the thought of Lent in 27×7.
Do Daily Family Devotions
You can do Lenten family devotions at your home. After your usual evening prayer, you can meditate on the passion of Christ or the Stations of Cross each day. That will make you more attached to Lent. This can be united with your daily situations of life. Through this devotion, you should be more attached with the family members and the bond of love would be increased each day.
Incorporate a Daily Prayer Time Focusing on a Lenten Theme
Your daily prayer can divert into a new path during this Lent. You can make your prayer according to the Lenten spirit. Discuss with your family members each day about the theme for tomorrow or can plan for a week. Meditate on the specific theme the whole day and everyone can reflect during the time of family prayer.
Sacrifice Something for 40 Days
Talk with your family about something you can give up during Lent. It could be something tangible, like sweets, or it could be not going out to eat and using that money for charitable purposes instead. It could be a particular Christian practice that you’d like to get better at, like having devotions. It could be sacrificing your pride and forgiving someone you’ve held a grudge against and going to that person for reconciliation
Take the Opportunity to Show Hospitality
God reached down to us through Christ, so we can take the chance to reach out to others and show them the love of Jesus! Have a friend or a beggar over for coffee or for a meal at your home. Hospitality can do in other ways too. Bring something to someone: a meal to someone who is sick or a mom with a new baby or go and visit someone in a nursing home or care facility.
Meditate on Jesus’ Sacrifice for our Sins
Make a cross with many pieces of tiny sticks on white paper. Whenever you meditate on the sacrifice of God, think and repent about the sins that you have made on that day. Remove the sticks once you are at home according to the number of your repentance and realizations. Finally, at the end of Lent, that means on Easter day, the cross will have vanished with your repentance. You can try other images too.
Focus on Someone Else’s Needs
Prayerfully consider the needs of others around you, maybe it’s a friend at school or church or maybe it’s a community need where you can be the light of Christ in someone’s life. Let your kids give ideas too! Help your kids understand what giving faith is about. Sacrificing some of our time and energy for another person brings us to an even greater appreciation of Christ’s sacrifice and love for us and His love for everyone else too!
Slow Down and Be Calm
Spend time with your family even how much busy you are. Spend time together as a family. Say no to a few things. Pray before you rush off into your busy day.